COUNTRY: SENEGAL
DISH: JOLLOF RICE OR BENACHIN
CONTRIBUTED BY: Ramou Ceesay, Spouse to Ambassador
This dish is a one pot rice dish popular in the Senegambian region. It is similar to Pilaf or Jambalaya rice. The dish consists of meat or fish or chicken with verities of vegetables cooked together. It can be colored by adding tomato paste to get a red type, with saffron to give it a yellowish color or plain simple white Benachin.
Ingredients
Meat, fish or chicken depending on choice
Tomato paste and red chopped tomatoes if red one
Cabbage, cassava, big pepper, onions, garlic, black pepper, green, red and yellow peppers and other seasonings
Oil
Rice
Salt and of course Jumbo or Maggi
Method
- Wash the meat and season it, let sit for 15 mins for the seasoning to get to the bones.
- Pound or blend peppers, onions, garlic, crushed tomatoes and set aside.
- Heat oil and fry meat half and half, then add the blended vegetables and tomato paste.
- Add a little water and stir to sauté until it turns golden brownish red.
- Add water and the vegetables. Season to taste by adding salt, Maggi or Jumbo.
- Cook the meat until tender and remove the veggies then add the rice to the pot. Cook rice for about 20 minutes and lower the heat to simmer.
- Serve and add veggies to the side
